Galapagos Islands: A Different View Has Arrived!

I am very excited that my new (and first) book has arrived at the Answers in Genesis warehouse. Here is a picture of the books on shelves in the Creation Museum bookstore.

The book was truly a labor of love. After all, I had to “suffer” through two weeks of living on a cruise ship and touring the Galápagos! But realistically, a lot of research into the geology, climate, and animals was required for the many impromptu lectures to students that traveled with me and interviews I conducted with the leaders of the group about the science behind the islands. In addition, when I started planning the book, I realized I wanted the contribution of people who were experts in their fields to discuss topics such as geology, climate, astronomy, biology, theology, and history as it relates to the islands. It was thrilling to ask nearly 30 creation scientists and theologians and have them respond with a resounding “yes” that they would like to write for the book. While the book is “coffee table” style with many amazing photographs (some that I took!), it is also “meaty” with lots of easy-to-read content.

When I describe the book I often say that we are taking the Galápagos Islands back. For many years the Galápagos have been associated with Darwin since his observations on the islands played a role in his development and popularization of the idea of evolution via natural selection. When I visited the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz I came across this display of Darwin’s finches.

Of course, this is not evolution in the sense of molecules to man, but rather variation within the finch kind as beak sizes vary in relation to food availability. This observation does not give support for Darwin’s evolutionary ideas but rather support for the biblical truth that God created animals according to their kinds and that animals reproduce according to their kinds (Genesis 1). When we view the Galápagos beginning with an understanding of creation, the Fall, and the Flood from Scripture, we see how the biology, geology, and other features we observe there confirm and are consistent with the Bible—but they are inconsistent with man’s ideas about the past of evolution and millions of years. To conclude the book I stated the following:

The Galápagos Islands are an awesome display of God’s majesty and mercy. I hope this book has challenged you to recognize the importance of starting points when it comes to understanding the past and the impact it has on the present. Truth can only be found when we start with God’s Word.

The first book I autographed was for some first-time guests from Canada who were visiting the museum for the day. They were so excited to be the first people to have a book signed that they took a picture and sent it to me.

I enjoyed hearing the story of why they came to the museum, and it made the writing and publication of this book all the more relevant. They shared the following with me via email:

I had thought of visiting many times before but a few days before my daughter had a week off from school, she made a comment that made me realize that it was time to make the nine hour drive. My daughter, Maggie, had come home from her Grade 10 science class and mentioned that she was surprised that her teacher had stated that evolution is not a theory but had been proven. We made the trip a few days later and I can't tell how glad I am that we did. My sister joined us and we all had such an amazing time. As I walked through the museum I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude for all the sacrifices that had been made by AIG and the many supporters to create such a world-class museum. The highlight for us all was to hear Georgia Purdom and to have the privilege of being the first to have Georgia sign her new book! Thank you all so much for the wonderful experience. You will be in our prayers daily!

Praise God for the Creation Museum, and praise God for resources like Galápagos Islands: A Different View that can educate and equip adults, teens, and children with the truth of God’s Word from the very first verse.